Pepe’s Karakoram
For hikers and the general public the Karakoram mountains are mainly known due to K2 (8611m), the second highest mountain in the world. Although for us rock climbers, it is the “Mountain Needles” that are the most attractive, such as the Nameless Tower (6 251 m).
“Where are you going? They will kill you; it is full of terrorists there. If they do not shoot you, you will die in those enormous mountains!”
This is what I heard every time I mentioned the possibility of participating in an expedition being prepared by my Slovak friends. After the experience of an African trip I did not take these threats very seriously but it did not help my motivation either. My financial situation was also not the best and therefore I was hesitating up to the last moment. The final decision was made thanks to an e-mail from the expedition leader, Igor Koller, who wrote that there would be great group of people participating in the expedition so it was even worth getting into debt for.
There is a necessary stop in Islamabad followed by “only” two days on the Karakoram Highway. We are breathless when watching the art of driving by the locals who seem completely unaware of the rules for driving. Fortunately our driver is good and without any accidents he brings us to the town of Skard. There is a one day break which is used to buy the items we are running short of and then it’s off to the mountains. We are driving in Jeeps through the wilderness into the mountain village of Askkole which is 3048 m above sea level. Local people earn their living mostly in agriculture but many men seek the job of carrier during the expedition season. It is very demanding job but very well paid compared to local conditions. Therefore, when choosing a carrier there is always some hassle, which Javed, our contact man solves with his wooden stick. After distributing our luggage among 75 carriers we set off for the four day walk to the Shipton base camp.
Shipton BC
I have been to many wonderful places but base camp Shipton is unique. We are sitting on a stone, the stream is whispering next to me and I just quietly perceive all this beauty which is hard to describe with words. The flower beds with different colours, the shape of the iceberg, steep walls that are as sharp as the tips of arrows.
The Tower I Was Dreaming of
I already noticed it on the way from the base camp. The Nameless Tower is simply wonderful. When I finally reach the ground where base camp Trango is, I can see the tower as if it was on the palm of my hand. The first thing that surprises me is the access under the wall. At first look it is clear that we will have to work hard when carrying things up. The acclimatization climb to a level of 5 100 m confirms this. After acclimatization we carry the material up to just below the starting point of the climb, which at sea level is very hard work.
15.8. Attack on the Eternal Flame
“In spring 1989 I was invited by Wolfgang Güllich on his expedition to Pakistan – to the Trango tower. This granite giant has become for me, after fifteen years of climbing in different parts of world, still a challenge. The lack of motivation which has been hanging over me for a long time now, has disappeared! There was a great goal in front of me. Not only the sporting achievement but also the wild nature of Karakoram – the mighty mountains of the world - was attracting me. Difficult climbing in the highest mountains – can there be anything more tempting?”
Milan Sýkora, Montana 2/1990
I have always loved those routes which have a story – without a doubt, the name Eternal Flame belongs to these. The route, which is sixteen years old, has not lost any of its beauty. Climbers from all over the world, waiting for the opportunity and for good weather in the base camp, are proof of that. I was glad that we were among them but I also felt some tension connected with the regret I was feeling at having trained so little for such a difficult climb. The changing weather clearly showed that whoever wants to climb the road must be either very fast or really thorough. The original idea to climb the maximum that we could while free of climbing ropes looked more and more unrealistic next to the Nameless. The first attempt finished as quickly as it started and shattered all my ideas and dreams. I am descending an awfully long time to our bivouac. I feel like crying. I feel like a small boy which has just been beaten by an older and bigger boy. He is laughing at me in front of everybody and I feel great tension inside. I am sitting on the ground, fists doubled but I have tears in my eyes.
There are clouds coming in the evening and there is a rain again in the morning. Dodo is waiting for us down in the base camp. “I am glad to see you again, guys”
Text and photo: Petr (Pepe) Piechowicz
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Sponsors and partners of the Karakoram 2005 Expedition: Bochemie, the City of Bohumín, ČHS, OEAV-Alpy, Tilak, Bufo, Alpsport, Raveltik.